High Court Won't Intervene in IDF Women's Singing Issue

Court rejects motion filed by Yoel Glickman, one of the cadets booted from Officers' Course for refusing to hear a woman sing.

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Gil Ronen, 06/10/11 02:11

Dorit Beinisch

Flash 90

The High Court Wednesday rejected a motion filed by Yoel Glickman, a religious soldier who was one of the cadets kicked out of the IDF Officers' Course because they refused to watch a woman sing on stage.

Judges Beinisch, Naor and Rivlin wrote in their decision that the court should not interfere with military orders in this case, and that the IDF should be allowed to complete its staff work in the matter.

The State Attorney's representatives had asked the Court not to intervene in the dismissal of the cadets, which they said was a military decision. The order to remain seated in the hall, which Glickman disobeyed, "is not an obviously illegal one and therefore even if the appellant had some kind of reservation, he was obliged to obey his commanders' orders," the State said in its reply to Glickman's motion to reinstate him.

The principle of modesty in Jewish Halakha forbids men from hearing women sing, although there are exceptions and varying interpretations of this rabbinical ruling.